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Slow Smoldering Myeloma Progression
Recent studies have shown that early treatment of smoldering myeloma may delay or prevent the progression into full-blown disease, and researchers have been looking for effective treatments to use in these patients…
Chemotherapy may slow the progression of smoldering myeloma to full-blown MM…or it may not. But what beginning active chemotherapy will definately do is 1) cause short, long-term and late stage side effects and 2) begin your steady march toward MDR aka multi-drug resistance. MDR is the reason why all MMers eventually relapse and are told that “nothing more can be done for them.” At least that’s what my oncologist told me when I reached MDR.
I am not disputing the findings of the phase two study discussed in the article linked below. I’m sure that active chemotherapy can slow progression to MM for some patients. I am trying to highlight the flip-side of beginning active smoldering myeloma chemotherapy and I am focusing on the reason why conventional oncology considers MM to be incurable. And that is below all MMers relapse if they acieve remission. And repeated remissions lead to MDR.
Without a doubt, none of the 50 high-risk SMMers in the study progressed to frank MM within two years of the trial. As a long-term MM survivor I think it is important for newly diagnosed pre-MM patients (SBP, MGUS and SMMers) to underestand all aspects of MM chemotherapy- the good, the bad and the ugly.
While none of the 50 trial patients progressed to full-blown MM, 26 of these patients achieved partial responses or less as well as adverse events such as “fatigue, diarrhea, and high blood sugar… Severe or worse adverse events included low phosphate levels and reduced numbers of lymphocytes and neutrophils.”
The question newly diagnosed pre-MM patients must ask themselves is how to achieve BOTH quality of life and quality of life.
Learn about evidence-based, non-toxic therapies shown to reduce the risk of MM.
Have you been diagnosed with pre-MM (SBP, MGUS or SMM? Scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
Thank you,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading:
- Continuous Treatment aka Metronomic Therapy for New Myeloma?
- Multiple Myeloma Response Alphabet Soup- MRD, sCR, CR, VGPR, PR…
- David Emerson: Multiple Myeloma Survivor Since 3/94
Triple Combo Therapy May Slow Smoldering Multiple Myeloma Progression into Overt Myeloma, Phase 2 Trial Shows
“Early treatment with a triple combination therapy containing Empliciti(elotuzumab), Revlimid (lenalidomide), and dexamethasone in patients with smoldering multiple myeloma — a precursor of multiple myeloma — may halt the disease’s progression into the full-blown condition, a Phase 2 trial shows…
Recent studies have shown that early treatment of smoldering myeloma may delay or prevent the progression into full-blown disease, and researchers have been looking for effective treatments to use in these patients…
The study’s primary goal was to determine the proportion of patients who had not progressed two years after starting treatment. Secondary endpoints included response rate, time to progression, overall survival, and safety of the combination therapy… the triple combination reduced disease burden in 84% of patients — including 6% complete responses, 37% very good partial responses, and 41% partial responses. An additional 10% of patients had minimal responses and 3% saw their disease stabilize.